Just two seasons ago the Angels’ Ervin Santana(notes) was a highly regarded mound Jedi. Blessed with an aggressive demeanor and lethal concoction of mid-90s fastballs and filthy sliders, he completely mystified hitters. His resulting production was nothing short of spectacular. Over 219 innings he emerged victorious 16 times, punching out 214 (8.67 K/9) while walking just 1.93 batters per nine, the ninth-most valuable line in fantasy according to Baseball Monster. A wee tot at 25, he seemed destined to be a rotation anchor for decades to come.
Then Emperor Palpatine cast lighting bolts on his arm.
Plagued by setbacks to his ulnar collateral ligament and triceps last May, his velocity dipped, control unraveled and ERA soared. Fly-balls which had stayed in the park the year before stretched to homers. Overnight he morphed into Ramon Ortiz(notes).
But on Sunday, the former pitching Skywalker polished up his light saber.
The reinvigorated righty, who is owned in only 51 percent of Y! leagues, was nearly flawless against Toronto. In a very efficient 106-pitch complete game masterpiece, he mowed down one Blue Jay after another, finishing with six strikeouts and zero walks. An Adam Lind(notes) solo blast with two outs in the ninth was his only blemish. Without question, first-pitch strikes, which dismayed Santana often a season ago, was his primary key to success.
Though his fastball is slightly more pedestrian than it was in ’08, Santana’s outstanding effort could be a harbinger of positive outings to come. With his confidence renewed and his command once again harnessed, he’s on the cusp of becoming shallow league relevant. Yes, it’s just one start and long-balls also continue to be problematic – he’s surrendered five homers already this year, but the 27-year-old was valuable in the recent past. Despite what fishy admirals may tell you, it’s not a trap.
Now healthy and with adequate run support, he could accumulate numbers in range of 12-15 wins, 4.00 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 170 K.
The Angels’ Jedi may have indeed returned.
• Staying north of the border, the Ricky Romero(notes) Festival of Love continued Sunday. Barely touched over eight innings, he yielded just one earned, walking one with five strikeouts. Healthy and equipped with a filthy change, the former first-round pick is flashing breakout signals. Still owned in just 67 percent of Y! leagues, he should be snatched up even in the shallowest of mixed leagues.
• Texas manager Ron Washington elevated Elvis Andrus(notes) into the leadoff spot, supplanting Julio Borbon(notes). Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News believes the move will "probably be for the foreseeable future." Assuming this is truly the case, Borbon, who is just 3-for-36 with one steal on the season, takes a significant value hit. He’s expendable in standard-sized mixed leagues. Meanwhile for Andrus, the switcharoo greatly enhances his overall worth. A short-term rise in runs and steals is definite.
• Mired in a deep early season slide, ultra-hyped outfielder Jay Bruce(notes) finally shook off a bad case of the slumps belting two solo blasts – his first two round-trippers of the season – against the Buccos. Hopefully Sunday’s power exhibition will springboard the 23-year-old to the projected 30-35 homer campaign most pundits pegged him for. Your chance to purchase the slugger at a discounted rate may have just expired.
• Scott Pianowski dreamboat, Ty Wigginton(notes), knocked in four more runs – RBI No. 7, 8, 9 and 10. Undeniably the hottest hitter in a Pale O’s uniform, he has seven hits and 10 RBI since taking over everyday duties at second for injured All-Star Brian Roberts(notes). His versatility, above average pop and routine spot batting second in Dave Trembley’s order is convincing. If you’re looking for a quick MI fix, Wiggs and San Fran’s Eugenio Velez(notes) are excellent mercenaries in deeper mixed formats.
• Ballyhooed Mets prospect Ike Davis(notes) could be promoted imminently after Mike Jacobs(notes) was designated for assignment. A strapping lad at 6-foot-5, 200-pounds, the former Arizona State standout possesses a watchful eye and terrific raw power. Between High-A and Double-A a season ago, he tallied a .298-20-71 line over 429 at-bats. Obviously, he’s not rosterable in 12-team mixed leagues considering the depth at first base, but for owners in NL-only and Grand Canyon-deep mixed formats he’s a nice speculative pickup. For additional information on Davis, check out Mets Minor League Blog’s richly detailed scouting report.
QUICK HITTERS: Brett Gardner(notes) swiped his sixth and seventh bags of the season in a 2-for-3 (one run) effort against friendly Rangers starter Rich Harden(notes). If Joe Girardi pencils him into the leadoff spot regularly against righties, he could very easily amass 70-80 runs and 40-plus steals…Ivan Rodriguez(notes) continues to defy the erroding effects of Father Time. The future HOFer went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI against the Brewers. It was his sixth multi-hit performance on the young season…Nate Robertson(notes) improved his record to 2-0 holding the Majors’ most explosive offense (Philadelphia) scoreless over 6.1 innings. If he continues to coax grounders (14 on Sunday), he’s worth a look in NL-only and very deep formats. Remember ’06?…Jon Lester(notes) was pounded for seven earned over six innings. The deplorable outing marked his third straight game allowing at least four runs. Poor command continues to be the culprit. Despite the tear-inducing start, he remains a strong buy low candidate…Carl Pavano(notes) returned to earth surrendering seven over 3.1 innings against the Royals. Because he possesses an underwhelming fastball, he was bound to get pounded eventually. Then again, maybe he had ex-girlfriend Alyssa Milano’s lady lumps on the mind…After blowing opportunities in his two previous attempts, Baltimore’s Jim Johnson(notes) shut the door on Oakland for a rare two-inning save. It appears Trembley is committed to the adventurous reliever until Mike Gonzalez is activated…Funston favorite Alberto Callaspo(notes) smoked the Twinkies for two homers and a career-best six RBI. It was his first multi-homer game of his career. Similar to Velez and Wigginton, the KC second basemen is an underappreciated middle infielder who should continue to post admirable numbers as an injury fill-in…Barry Zito(notes) notched his third straight quality start, limiting archrival Los Angeles to one earned over 7.1 innings. Unfortunately, Sergio Romo’s(notes) beach ball to Manny Ramirez(notes) spoiled the W. Expect a Zito regression soon. His high number of fly-balls will inevitably haunt him. Keep in mind he faced Pittsburgh and Houston in his first two outings.
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